Be a Leader for Worksite Wellness

Workplaces provide many opportunities for promoting health and preventing chronic disease. Put the health and wellness of your employees, and your community, first. You’ll be glad you did!

Michael DiResto, executive vice president at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, is one of the many workplace professionals in Louisiana who has taken a lead in moving the health of his community forward. Learn more about how Michael implemented healthy changes at his worksite to become a WellSpot.

By connecting with Well-Ahead, worksites can learn how to support employee health, geaux tobacco-free, promote healthy eating and connect to health resources in their community. All of these changes can make a positive impact in your community.

Change begins with you—take the lead in your community today!

You Need to Know Our Numbers

Health Data for Louisiana Workplaces

We’re pretty proud of our way of life in Louisiana and our lifestyle has a big impact on our overall health. These numbers affect every aspect of life in our communities, including education and economic status.

28%

Louisiana adults smoke tobacco¹

40%

of all Louisianans have obesity¹

The cost of lost productivity during the workday due to chronic disease (presenteeism) can be as much as

15x

the cost of absenteeism²

In the U.S., missed work days due to chronic disease (absenteeism) costs small employers up to

$81

per employee annually³

In the U.S., missed work days due to chronic disease (absenteeism) costs large employers up to

$286

per employee annually³

It’s Time for a Change

Healthy Changes in Louisiana Workplaces

In 2013, Louisiana drained an estimated $28 billion from the nation’s economy in the form of medical treatment costs, economic loss and productivity loss. By making the healthy choice the easy choice in our  communities, the Milken Institute predicted that we could avoid 612,000 cases of chronic conditions in 10 years, reduce future economic costs by more than $17 billion in 2023, and increase Louisiana’s economic output by $62 billion by 2050.3

You Can Take the Lead

Promote Healthy Worksites

Worksites and retailers can, and should, promote healthy behaviors. Show your community that you care about health. Change the conversation around health at your workplace and implement changes that can help your community members thrive. Each small change can influence health, one step at a time. We are here to help! When you commit to becoming a WellSpot, we will walk alongside you to implement these healthy changes. Learn how you can be a leader at your workplace.

Support Employee Health at Your Workplace

Promoting employee health is key in creating a workplace environment. Healthy employees are happier, more productive and absent less. And, their healthcare costs go down. Invest in the health of your employees by making these key changes at your workplace.

Geaux Tobacco-Free in Louisiana

You can play a role in reducing tobacco use in your community. Tobacco use can lead to cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Geaux tobacco-free by putting in place these key changes.

Promote Healthy Eating at Your Workplace

A healthy nutrition environment can help your employees and community make healthy food choices. Offering healthy food options in vending machines and during meetings can support healthy eating.

Connect to Health Resources in Your Community

Help ensure that your employees have access to available resources and support to prevent or manage chronic conditions. Become a resource for your employees by implementing programs at your workplace. You can also connect your employees to available local resources using our Community Resource Guide. Create your own connections by participating in a health coalition!

Citations

1 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2022. 

2 Employers Health Coalition, 2000. The Hidden Competitive Edge: Employee Health and Productivity.

3 Milken Institute, 2018. The Costs of Chronic Disease in the U.S. https://milkeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/reports-pdf/ChronicDiseases-HighRes-FINAL.pdf

Become a Well Spot

We are here to help! We’ve developed a set of wellness benchmarks just for worksites and retailers that want to implement healthy changes like these. From implementing a tobacco-free policy to supporting breastfeeding mothers, to increasing access to healthy food choices, these benchmarks provide evidence based strategies to move the health of our communities forward.

We will walk alongside you as you work to meet these benchmarks. Once enough benchmarks are met, we will officially designate you as a Level 3, Level 2 or Level 1 WellSpot—our highest designation.

Being designated as a WellSpot is a big accomplishment—so your community needs to know all about it! Upon designation, you will receive a recognition certificate from the Louisiana Department of Health. You will also receive an official WellSpot decal to display on the entrance of your school. In addition, your organization will be added to our interactive WellSpot map. You will also receive a promotional toolkit to help you promote your designation on social media, to the press and more!